


Day 8- Obsession

by Broken_Clover



Series: Goretober 2019 [8]
Category: Guilty Gear
Genre: Alternate Universe, Broken Bones, Car Accidents, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Hero Worship, Obsessive Behavior, Other, Stephen King References, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 20:38:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20972705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: “My name is Sadako Yamamura, I’m your number-one fan!”





	Day 8- Obsession

**Author's Note:**

> This is pretty strongly inspired by Misery, but not quite an AU.

Cold. 

Everything was cold, and everything hurt.

Why did it hurt? He couldn’t think. It was hard to see. There was nothing but white. 

And cold. 

And Pain.

He’d been...where had he been? What had he been doing? Why was he outside in the first place? The storm was supposed to be-

The storm. The blizzard. He’d been trying to drive home after the powerlines fell down and knocked out all the electricity. They couldn’t do any computer work without power.

But he was supposed to have been going home, why wasn’t-

The ground seemed to open up underneath him before he could answer the question. It dumped him out into something soft, but somehow even more blisteringly cold. He would have recoiled from the sensation, but he felt too tired and and it hurt too much to move.

Something warm brushed his side, so foreign and odd from everything else that he wondered if it was really there. He didn’t have much time to think about it, however. The world seemed to decide that he’d spent enough time away for the time being and pitched him headfirst into unconsciousness. He wasn’t sure if it was an annoyance or a relief.

++++++

Zappa awoke to a similar white, but this one wasn’t freezing cold. Actually, he felt quite warm and comfortable where he was. His head was still swimming and something was throbbing in pain, but it all felt so much more bearable when it wasn’t so cold out.

A smear of something ash-black edged into his vision. It was difficult to discern at first, but as he blinked to clear his vision, it turned into long, dark hair, framing the face of a person that he definitely didn’t know.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Zappa stiffened up in panic. The stranger took note of it, and pressed a hand gently against his chest.

“Easy, there. You’re okay.” It was a woman’s voice, quiet but slightly raspy. “Your car crashed nearby, but I pulled you out of it. You’re safe with me.”

It wasn’t much to go off of, but she certainly seemed kind. Not that he could do much in his current state anyway. He dragged himself up to sit on the bed she’d put him in. One arm felt tender as he put pressure on it, and he found the whole limb wrapped up in bandages.

“Popped your wrist right out of place.” The woman explained. She reached over to pull the blanket back, and he winced at the sight. Though it had been splinted up and mostly bandaged over, his right leg was still twisted oddly, and the white fabric was soaked through in a few spots. “Banged this up pretty badly, too. But I think the concussion’s eased up, and for the state your car was in, I’d say you’re pretty lucky to have made out with just that. Don’t worry, though. I’m a nurse, I know how to handle this kind of thing.”

She seemed to have thought of everything. Zappa couldn’t help but be impressed. “Thank you very much for your help, I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

“It’s no problem at all! I’m glad I could help you out.”

“You’re very kind, ma’am.” He smiled gratefully. “Um, I guess I should introduce myself, I’m-”

“Oh, you don’t need to tell me! I already know!” She cut him off, expression growing giddy.

“Huh?”

“You’re Zappa! The famous paranormal researcher! How could I not know who you are?”

Zappa felt his face going red. “I-I’m not, really-”

“Oh, don’t be so modest! I’ve read every single one of your monographs and dissertations, you’re amazing!” The woman was practically bouncing in her seat. “My name is Sadako Yamamura, and I’m your number-one fan!”

“Y-you’re too kind.” He turned away in embarrassment. “I-I just write theoretical stuff. It’s not really as interesting as practical magic-”

“But your theories are just so well-detailed!” Sadako shook her head. “I’ve never seen a writing style like yours, everything is so organized, and you think of things that nobody else would ever think of! I’ve never understood anyone else so well since I read your texts!” She clasped her hands together. “So really, it’s an honor for me to be able to take care of you! I feel like such a lucky woman to be able to meet you at all!”

He’d gone absolutely tomato-red, burying his face in his hand. Sadako giggled quietly. “Oh dear, don’t make yourself faint. Would you like some water? Or some soup? I’m sure you’re hungry…”

Sadako seemed like a very kind woman. Zappa found himself warming up to her as she milled around making lunch. She seemed the chatty type, which was a tad odd, considering that she seemed to share the house only with herself.

“It’s not all that lonely.” She said, stirring a pot on the stove. “It might be a quiet place, but the scenery is very beautiful. I like the snow.”

He stared out the window with a little frown, watching the blizzard continue to rage on outside. “I can’t imagine it would be safe to try and drive anywhere.”

The woman shook her head. “Afraid not. I think the phone lines got knocked down, too. I can't seem to get a call to anywhere.” Her expression grew dismayed, until she put a smile back on. “But that’s okay. You can stay here and rest up until the roads are clean.”

The idea of being stuck where he was felt worrying, but she did have a point. The weather was far too bad to try and go anywhere, and it would be a death sentence to try. He’d barely made it out the first time, he didn’t need to press his luck at all.

Something warm settled into his lap. Sadako sat down in the chair next to his bed, carrying a bowl of her own.

“I hope you like tomato!”

++++++

Zappa had been very lucky to end up where he was, staying in the home of someone so kind. Miss Sadako seemed ready and willing to do anything he could have asked for, and even more than that. Not that he would have, he was a guest, after all. But she seemed insistent to do an extremely thorough job in looking after him. Every day, she checked the bones, redid the bandages, checked his temperature, offered painkillers, tossed on more clean blankets, and gave any sort of assistance that she could manage, whether he asked for it or not.

That...seemed to be the only problem he could name. He couldn’t help but be slightly distubed at her lack of a sense of personal space. Complaining felt rude, but Sadako had to reservations in patting his hand, ruffling his hair, or looking over the injured limbs without much of a warning. Maybe that’s just how people were around here? It didn’t seem impossible, but it also didn’t do anything about the uneasy feeling it gave him.

At least he was able to take his mind off of it by discussing paranormal theories. Sadako was a bit of a casual theorist- which he’d only been able to barely make out in between her praises of him. The blizzard had lightened, but the roads were still covered in snow and any attempts to make a phone call accomplished nothing, so they’d opted to try and stay occupied until then. His arm had healed up a bit and the swelling had gone down, so he could hold a pencil and sketch out some diagrams while they conversed.

“It’s all still theoretical, mind you, but it is very possible that the Backyard is not a fully separate dimension as we’ve thought up until now. Instead,” he sketched out a few new lines on the sheet of paper, and held it up for her to see, “I’m wondering if it’s, in a sense, overlaid over the world we’re in now, just sort of ‘adjacent’ to our reality, close enough that it can interact with ours but we can’t visually experience it the majority of the time.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Sadako clapped her hands. “You’re really brilliant! I never could have thought of that, not in a million years!”

“I-I’m sure you could have.” Zappa replied. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. Besides, I can’t prove anything yet…”

“‘Not yet,’ though! I’m sure a genius like you will figure everything out super-quick!”

He wanted to insist that he really wasn’t as bright as she was giving him credit for. But the feeling of a hand sliding over his made him stiffen up.

“Zappa,” Sadako said, “what do you think of me?”

That took him even more off-guard. “You seem like an incredibly kind woman, a very clever one, too.”

She seemed unsatisfied with his answer. “What do you think of that, though? Do you like that in a woman?”

Realizing what she was trying to say, he blanched. “Oh. Uh, m-miss Yamamura, I barely know you. I-it’s not that I dislike you, or anything. I’m just not exactly doing the whole ‘dating’ thing right now.”

It was enough to get her to calm down, though it didn’t diminish the suspicious look in her eyes. “I’m not sure I understand. Have you met someone already, or…?”

“Well, yeah, actually.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’ve got a boyfriend at home. His name’s Randy.”

“Oh.” Sadako replied, stiffening up. “I-I didn’t realize you were...taken.”

Zappa waved her down. “Hey, it’s alright. I tend to keep my personal stuff to myself, nothing wrong with you. I just hope he’s not too worried about me…”

She laughed again, quietly, shaking off her embarrassment. “Haha, I’m sorry, that was silly of me. Got a bit in over my head. It’s everyone’s dream to fall in love with their idol, y’know? I wasn’t really thinking.”

He’d thought that would have been the end of it. If Sadako had gotten the hint, she would have backed off on all the touching and learned to respect boundaries a bit better.

That was wishful thinking.

“Alright, easy...have you got your balance?”

Zappa wobbled awkwardly on a pair of crutches, trying to figure out how to orient himself so he could take a hop forward. Sadako had insisted that he at least try it out, to see if he could manage enough of an impromptu walk while his leg was finishing up on healing.

“I’m not sure if I can get this.” He admitted, trying to find a way to keep balance to he could swing his arms. “H-how do I- ah- !”

A familiar pair of warm hands caught him before he could fall. “Gotcha. Are you alright?”

With a bit of maneuvering, Zappa managed to stand up again. “I’m fine. Thank you for…”

Though he’d managed to stand up straight again, Sadako didn’t let go. Actually, he could feel her touch sliding across his skin. Her hand came to rest on his side, sliding down a bit too low for his liking.

“Your hand, can you put it a bit higher?

Her eyes shone with innocence. “Hmm?”

“Sadako.” Zappa snapped. “Please stop touching me.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

He watched her let go, then step away to stand across from him. “Okay, let’s try this again, alright?”

That seemed fair. He tried adjusting the crutches again. “You said the plow gave you the all-clear, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. The phone lines still aren’t quite functional, but the roads are safe.”

“Excellent. Does that mean I can go home today?”

Sadako flinched as if he had just slapped her across the face. “What?”

Zappa tilted his head. “It’s been a long time. If I can’t call them, then nobody knows where I am right now. I’m sure Randy and my co-workers are worried about where I am.”

She took a step closer. “Y-you don’t have to leave already, you’re still not well yet! You- uh, you shouldn’t go out like this! I’m sure we’ll be able to send a call soon, you can tell them you’re staying- !”

“Sadako.” He hardened his tone. “I appreciate your kindness, and I don’t mind compensating you for it. But I want to go home. It’s alright if you don’t want to go the entire way, but can you at least drive me to the nearest police precinct?”

After several moments, she slumped over in defeat. “Alright, I can do that. Let’s...let’s head out this afternoon, okay? I’ll make lunch, and then I can drive you home.”

Zappa finally let his expression soften. “Thank you, Sadako.”

By the time he had managed a few steps on the crutches, she called him in for food. Vegetable soup and bread, both steaming warm.

“It really was a pleasure to be able to get to know you, Zappa.” Sadako seemed to have cheered up a little. “Not everyone gets to meet the people they admire, and I guess it’s pretty rare to have your idol be an amazing person in real life, too. It really means a lot just have been able to meet you.”

He still felt a bit averse after what had happened before. “I’m glad I was able to live up to your expectations. I’ve never met a fan before.”

“How’s the soup? It’s a new recipe I’m trying.”

It was very good. He hadn’t been especially hungry in the first place, but the taste made it hard to stop eating it. “It’s delicious. Can I ask what you put in it?”

“Not really anything special,” she said. “Garlic, bay leaves, bit of…”

Anything after that faded into incoherency. Zappa braced himself against the table with one hand, feeling an odd dizziness suddenly strike him. The walls shifted, threatening to knock him out of his chair if he couldn’t stay balanced.

“Zappa?” Sadako’s voice was somewhere in the distance. “What’s wrong?”

Everything was on fire. Oh god, he was burning alive! The heat of the soup had been comforting, but it had spiked into a blazing pain all the way down, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to gasp for air or simply throw everything back up.

The heat and dizziness was overwhelming. He could just barely recognize that he’d fallen out of the chair and hit the floor before he blacked out.

++++++

The feeling of warm softness was familiar. The world still felt too hot, and when he finally managed to peel back sticky eyelids, the room was blurry.

“Are you awake?”

The voice sent a shot of ice directly into his spine. Zappa tried to sit up, but he found that he lacked the energy to do so, and he immediately sank back down, whimpering in the intense heat.

“Easy, there.” Something cold brushed his cheek, and Sadako’s face came into view. “You gave me quite a scare, passing out at lunch like that. You feel so warm, can you tell me where it hurts?”

It hurt everywhere. But when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out was a sticky, incoherent sound of pain.

“Oh no,” she cooed, with the same saccharine tone that he was all-too-familiar with, “poor dear. I guess the food must not have agreed with you. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that you’re nice and healthy before you go home. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you. You mean a lot to me, you know...”


End file.
